US diplomats tried to stop sensitive technology being acquired by Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker, by putting pressure on potential suppliers in Europe, according to cables released by the WikiLeaks website.
By putting the spotlight on Spirent Communications in the UK and Philips in the Netherlands over their potential dealings with Huawei, US officials have underlined how the Chinese group has become an irritant for Sino-US relations.
The Chinese group has been campaigning to convince US officials that it is transparent and independent from the country’s army since it was forced to abandon a joint takeover of its US rival 3Com in 2008 amid national security concerns.